Sympathy and empathy are two different things. Sympathy is when you feel sorrow for another person's misfortune. Empathy is when you imagine yourself in another person's situation and thinking about how it would make you feel. Sympathy can motivate you to want to help another person, or at least reassure them that things will be alright. Empathy on the other hand, allows you to better understand another person, and see things from their point of view.

As a relatively successful Youtuber whose troubles are relatively few and minimal compared to, say, starving homeless people, I don't have much need for sympathy. For the most part, I am in control of my own fate, and the bad things that happen to me are mostly my own fault. However, as someone who values forming deep emotional connections with others, I'll always have a bit of room in my heart to receive empathy from others.

Really, it's one of the reasons I make such an effort to be kind and charitable to my fans. I have hope in my heart that someday, I'll find people who really understand me. People whom I can become a close friends with. Unfortunately, given how my fans tend to act, I fear I may be looking in the wrong places.

Let's take a look at the common mistakes my fans make that prevent me from feeling like their appreciation and empathy are sincere.

I express my grievances, but am then given generic reassurance such as "I'm here for you!"
Are you really? This is one of the only times you and I have talked, and one of the only times we've spoken on a serious note. What reason do I have to believe you're there for me? Where's the evidence?

I do a bunch of cool things for my fans, but it gets taken for granted
When I bought a Raspberry Pi to have my music discord bot online 24/7, I barely got any thanks. There have also been times where I mediate and help resolve a conflict in the chat, but I barely get thanks. The fact that a simple "thank you" just flies over people's heads demonstrates how little they actually care. Same with apologies.

Causing conflict in the chat because someone wronged you or a friend
A lot of my fans have a strong sense of justice, and will rock the boat to make damn well sure either me or the mods take notice. Well guess what? You got our attention, and you also got the justice you wanted, but you also made the problem a little worse by kicking and screaming about it. You could have just messaged a mod quietly, solving the problem more effectively and peacefully. Thanks, jackass.

Inability to take anything seriously. Thoughtlessness
More than any of the other things, this is what pisses me off. A while back, Avraxas (Creator of Heirs of Rage and Tales of Purt) created a poll asking people what new content should be added to his game. There were a lot of choices that added new content to the game and fleshed out characters. There were also choices like "Lewd Images of the characters". Guess what got the most votes? And this was a serious poll as well: something Avraxas would actually put into the game.

All this shit sticks with me when engaging my fans, and it colors my perception of them as well. In my more emotional, bitter moments, I often label my fans as thoughtless, entitled sheep. The only ones who ever get close to me are the ones who treat me with respect and understanding rather than with admiration and worship. These are also the same people who can look past my image as an entertainer, and admire me for the person I truly am, good and bad.